2014 Distinguished Alumni

Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cory Blake Wride dedicated 19 years of his life to law enforcement, but on January 30, 2014 he paid the ultimate sacrifice. Wride, 44, left behind his wife, Nannette, and five children.

Wride was born in Monticello and grew up in American Fork. His obituary described him as a child who was quiet, kind, quick witted and loved animals. He spent summers during high school working on a dairy and beef cattle ranch in Idaho, and during that time he was involved in FFA and became an Eagle Scout. He was a 1987 graduate of American Fork High School. The following year Wride enlisted in the Utah Army National Guard, focusing on Intelligence Analyst School. He served in the Guard for 12 years, reaching the rank of sergeant. Wride also served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After his mission, he enrolled in the Salt Lake Community College Law Enforcement Academy. His first job after graduating at the top of his class was with the Utah State Prison. He began working for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office in 1994. Wride married Nannette Wilson in 1995 and together they built a house in Benjamin on a portion of his grandfather’s farm.

Wride was honored in March at the Capitol by the Utah Legislature, which moved to name a 15-mile section of State Route 73, through Saratoga Springs to the Tooele County line, the Cory B. Wride Memorial Highway. The Wride family has since started a petition titled “Protect Our Law Enforcement from Being Shot like Sgt. Cory Wride,” which calls on government agencies to add a bullet resistant “film” to the windshields of patrol cars.

The Run For the Fallen 5K race in Eagle Mountain on March 15 drew 700 people and benefited Wride’s family. Members of the Salt Lake Community College Police Academy paid special tribute to Wride during that race.